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PROS

Relatively intuitive controls (when they work) and easy to use skills.

Fun 'Peter Pan'-like story / environment.

CONS

Enemy AI 'focus' hard to control; makes tanking them near impossible.

Player AI / movement / targeting unreliable; occasionally does the opposite of what you intend.

Multiple missions in the same area (with no real purpose) break the flow of the story.

VERDICT

Kids vs Goblins provides an alternative to those who are tired of needing to learn multiple RPG class types, earn powerful items or learn complex boss patterns - when this game works it's a treat, but initial release issues hamper an otherwise fun new take on the genre.

Full Review

App Store Info

A recent commenter on our videos pointed out that often a game falls under the category of evolution and not revolution - put another more personal context, while new and unique games are praise-worthy, there's no reason why a game can't take something we know and build upon it. Kids vs Goblins by Stolen Couch Games and Crescent Moon Games does just this, giving the Battleheart formula a story-driven tweaking.

This isn't the first time the publisher has pushed something like this through, with Raid Leader doing a decent job of capturing the essence of online MMO combats, however Kids vs Goblins is something entirely else - waves upon waves of enemies are the order of the day and how you approach each challenge depends on the mode you play.

From the outset you're given the quest of rescuing the little baby brother of three children stranded on a magical island. After being granted magical powers they find themselves fighting a literal uphill battle to fight the Goblin King in his lofty mountain castle.

One thing the game can't be accused of is throwing the player in to the deep end without a paddle. At almost every turn the game is ready and willing to explain itself, be it introducing how to move and attack to how a newly unlocked mode works. This is fortunate as the game itself isn't as intuitive as you'd expect.

Despite the familiar drag to move/attack/assign target style of manipulating the trio, their ultimate response to your input is often not what you may have intended. Dragging a movement line away from a hero may result in no movement until you also tap the location, but it may also cancel the movement. Double-tapping results in a hodge-podge attempt to either move to a location or attack an enemy, but one of the children may also wander off in an entirely separate direction.

With this in mind, taking on the game's varied stages and challenges takes on a whole new level of difficulty that may not have been intended. This is a shame as the game makes excellent use of a limited skill system to provide unique scenarios for the player to overcome. Each character can take on one of three stances (attack, support, and heal), each with their own set of spells to define their style of play. Levels occasionally lock you in to a specific stance, forcing you to spread your resources and unlock a variety of skills to survive challenges such as needing to live for a set time without heals.

For a game that has already limited its audience to those with either an iPhone 4S or iPad 2, it's a shame it's so difficult to come to grips with the controls in Kids vs Goblins. What should be a fun romp for all ages feels too unstable to recommend without additional tweaking.

Description

Kids vs Goblins for iPhone 4S, iPad 2 & iPad3! Does not run on other devices.

Reviews:

AppAdvice - 9/10
AppScore - 10/10

Kids vs Goblins is a game about three children that are stranded on a magical island with their baby brother after a wild storm. During the night, their brother is kidnapped by two wicked Goblins. The children are woken by his cries and make ready to battle for their baby brother! The goblins work for the mighty Goblin King, who they must find and defeat. Fortunately they have some help in the form of magical powers they gain from a mysterious source. With their combined powers, courage and your help they will triumph! Or will they?

Kids vs Goblins is an action adventure game with RPG elements. You control the three heroes simultaneously, by dragging lines from them to their destination, or by double tapping to move them as a group. Before each mission, you assign the spells you want to use. With the magical stones you will gather you can unlock powerful and unique spells such as ‘Fire Hammer Flurry’, ‘Chain Lightning’ and ‘Dinner Table’. Each situation asks for a different approach, so try out different strategies and don’t forget to heal your heroes when they take damage!

Kids vs Goblins has a low learning curve that is suitable for all kinds of players, but also offers strategic depth in the selection of spells for each mission. The 6 different surroundings take the player across snowy mountain peaks and through dark, damp caves to the Castle of Doom at the climax of this epic tale. With over 60 unique spells and more than 30 challenging missions Kids vs Goblins offers hours of unique gameplay, and many more for those players who want to find the most powerful spell combinations in the game. Besides the story you can play levels in endless mode, where you have to fight off a never-ending horde of enemies, and roulette mode, where the games decides which spells to use. Get ready to be mesmerized and excited by the magical world of Kids vs Goblins.

* 3 playable heroes
* 6 different environments to discover
* Over 60 unlockable spells; explore their combinations and synergies
* Over 30 challenging missions
* Original soundtrack with different themes for every level
* Compelling story
* Step-by-step in game tutorial
* Highly replayable

Follow us on twitter twitter.com/cm_games for more info and updates on Kids vs Goblins and other upcoming games!
Check out the trailer of Kids vs Goblins on our website at www.stolencouchgames.com.

What's New in Version 4

- Now with a better camera system on iPhone 4s.
- Controls have been improved.
- Now runs on iPad 3.